Rather than a single composer, here’s a whole gaggle of them all in one tidy location. For the past decade, Indiana University in Bloomington has been actively exploring ways to get work out of their halls and on to a wider public by using the internet. One result is this page, which will take you to MP3s by many members of the faculty (Claude Baker, David Dzubay, Don Freund, Eugene O’Brien, Frederick Fox, Jeffery Hass, P.Q. Phan, Sven David Sandstrom), with some student pieces right alongside them. You’ll also find a really large offering of IU-focused CDs for purchase.

SONUS is the online archive of electronic and electroacoustic music, hosted at the Canadian Electroacoustic Community’s website. The focus of course is on Canadian creators, but the archive is open to submissions from any country. It’s truly vast, with more than 1800 complete works freely available as MP3s, including such Canadian greats as Francis Dhomont (who celebrates his 80th birthday with a concert in Montréal on Nov. 2nd), Monique Jean, Robert Normandeau, Stéphan Roy, and Katharine B. Norman. But there’s plenty of quality hiding in the cracks, too; I like to just click “search” and browse alphabetically. If it all seems a bit intimidating, there’s a link to curated playlists that will take you on differently-themed audio “tours” of the EA (electroacoustic) landscape.

Lloyd Rodgers is currently teaching at Cal State Fullerton, making a charmingly sly and subversive music. But 20-25 years ago he was one of the “kids” in a brash West Coast / L.A. brand of classi-pop-minimalism, little known outside California. Lloyd’s site documents some of the rare recordings of this place and time. Besides his self-claimed work, what’s truly fascinating here are the recordings of the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra. Originally formed by eight young composers in 1979, and continuing in one form or another through all of the 1980’s, it was a laboratory for a new kind of classical… or a new kind of pop… I’m not really sure, all I can say is that it’s still fresh and buzzing with young energy and transgression, and I like it!

we can’t contribute if we don’t create….solutions don’t occur from nothingness…Michael Nyman…Harold Budd…An Bene/Pierre Lambow…Will Sergent…”Walled Gardens”…Real New Music Festival…make the decision…take responsibilty…Old School: Alex North…Bernard Herrman…take it for what it’s worth and spend it….there is room for the “anonymous”…no reason to “quit”

CRMO….Philosophical/AGENDA problems. Spelling’s just a by-product of the medium and the process. Wake Up! No Where To Hide….. Ever remember Harold Budd ?…. Pretty Music !….That’s where we should be!….Houston, soo lame!….Quit?

Wow, Steve Moshier, “Mr. Vibes” of the CRO and the man responsible for “Shadow Boy” and “Only the Cubans”? [If readers don’t know what I’m talking about, then head to the Lloyd Rodgers/CRO link above and get the download the CD already!] Welcome, and thanks for the news, it’s great to hear. Sorry to hear about Chuck Estes’ death last year [another CRO alum]; sympathies from up here.

I should also point people to another former CRO member who’s finally got a website up, and with some nice listening, William Houston:

Being one of the original founding members who was with the group for the full tenure, it was nice to read your comments about Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra. Steve Moshier’s Liquid Skin Ensemble continues this classi-pop-minimalist tradition having performed extensively throughout Southern California for the last nine years (most notably with Hae Kyung Lee & Dancers). The 7-member group consists of 2 keyboards, electric and acoustic guitar, vibraphone, saxophone, and electric bass. Our current performances take place in Chinatown, Los Angeles at the AH Gallery, two to three times a year. Our next performance is April 13th and 14th, 2007 with the premiere of “Enough Rope: A 10-part Song Cycle on the Poems of Dorothy Parker” with guest soprano Ann Gresham.

This special edition celebrates two important anniversaries: 15 years of Réseaux and the 80th birthday of the pioneer of Electroacoustic music in Canada, Francis Dhomont. Also presentation of the winning pieces of the SOCAN Foundation\’s 2006 Hugh-Le Caine Prize: Andrew Staniland on 31 Oct, Jeffrey Mettlewsky on 1 Nov, and Martin Leclerc on 3 and 4 Nov. Headliners:

31 Oct, 8pm — Elio Martusciello: Akous(ma)chinebodies_orchestra

Born in Naples in 1959, Martusciello has received many performances and prizes across Europe and in Canada. Three works will be performed, including Naturalis Electronica for orchestra, live electronics and video.

The popular Montréal sax quartet Quasar\’s objective is to contribute to the development of the musical language and to allow the experimentation, exploration and the creation of new works. To date they have commissioned more than 30 works, both from Canada and abroad. On this concert will be works of Julien Roy, Pierre-Alain Jaffrennou, Monique Jean, Åke Parmerud and Farangis Nurulla-Khoja. The concert will be recorded by Radio-Canada.

2 Nov, 8pm — Francis Dhomont — 80th Birtday Concert: Shadow and Light

This evening the scene will belong to Francis Dhomont, one of the greatest figures of acousmatic music, for a concert nothing less than exceptional. Since 1963 Dhomont has been at the forefront of acousmatic music, his work and his teaching influential worldwide. Since 1978, he has split his activities between France and Quebec, where he taught at the University of Montréal from 1980 to 1996. He recently received an award from the Conseil Québécois for the music of his CD Jalons. A single concert entirely devoted to the music of Francis Dhomont which should not be missed!

3 Nov, 8pm — Ludger Brümmer: Spaces, silences

After a short incursion into the world of psychology and sociology, Ludger Brümmer undertook studies in composition in 1983 with Nicolas A. Huber (instrumental) and Dirk Reith (electroacoustic) in Essen. Brümmer currently teaches in Institute for Computermusik and Electronic Media At the Folkwanghochschule in Essen, and he is composer-in-residence at the Center for Art and Media Technology (ZKM). In addition to works of Brümmer, the public will also have the occasion to hear the new piece k.krrkphsssPOW by Montréal composer Nicolas Bernier.

4 Nov, 8pm — Christian Calon: Body, objects, charts

Calon\’s works emerged in Canada and soon brought him international attention. His concert works, sound installation or radio projects all have in common the exploration of the listening experience. The conception of sound shapes and projection, and the importance of listening contexts, are at the heart of his creative research. Furthering his interest in narrative forms through sound, he turned to writing for the radio medium. His present work focuses on the idea of Time through several musical forms : concert music, a dance project, a radio project and a sound installation.\”

Thanks for mentioning the SONUS.ca site. Although the whole Canadian (mostly Montréal) EA scene is widely-known and well regarded in Europe it seems to have slipped the cracks of the American audience. It’s some great stuff (I’m personally an unabashed fan of Normandeau and Paul Dolden).

I thought I’d also mention Réseaux’s quickly approaching 15th > (trns. “Nothing to see”) Festival of Acousmatic music in Montréal (October 31-November 4). If you’re in the area it’s well worth checking out.